Trying to "not"...

I've had a couple of discussions with co-workers lately about why the word "not" is one of the "core vocabulary" words on some of the speech generating device programs we utilize.  I was given an answer today about the research that indicates that "not" is a word that is among the most frequently used in the English language.  I think it's hard to teach kids with low-level communication skills what "not" means (as opposed to "no," for instance), but I will say that I as an adult need to get better about some "not"s.

I am doing better about "not" being on my phone first thing in the mornings and once I get in bed.  Ever since I pledged that on my blog a few weeks ago, I've almost always stuck with it, and I think it's made me sleep more soundly, and helped me get the dishes done in the morning :)

I need to "not" try to take on the agenda for the day/week without praying about it first.  I became really overwhelmed today with work and things I need to get done, and I essentially had to "not" do anything else until I took some deep breaths and prayed, for those that I felt led to pray for and for myself.  I carry burdens that I don't have to bear but I tend to only really say things to God once I'm worn and not when I start my day.  That needs to change.

I am "not" good at saying "no" to things.  Part of my personality type is that I tend to feel an intense sense of personal responsibility for things and often think no one else can handle things, so I say "yes" when I shouldn't.  I am self aware about this and am better in a lot of ways than I used to be, but similar to the above scenario, I need to "not" take on what I could let go or not see as my responsibility alone.

I did "not" blog for the last couple of weeks, number one because I didn't have a lot to say, but also because I didn't want my blogging "goal" to dictate my life.  I didn't want to say "yes" to something for the sake of saying yes or allowing "obligation" to drive my actions.

As I write this, I feel the need to "not" write much more, so I will cut this off.  What things do you "not" need to do?  Feel free to go ahead and "not" do them :)

Do, however, love people well, write/play music, hang out with friends/family, read books, watch movies, and be present in your life.  I'll do my best to do the same.  Also, embrace this because it's kind of awesome, though I always preferred Jon over Joey.